‘Super Mario Run’: Shigeru Miyamoto Talks Upcoming iOS Game, Choice Not To Make Full Game Free-To-Play


Super Mario Run is approaching fast, and fans are eager to see Mario on a new platform.

Nintendo has been Mario’s home through multiple installments in the Super Mario series. We’ve seen Mario play golf, play tennis, race, party, and fight his way into the hearts of fans new and old. This time around, Mario’s going to be running against the opposition. Additionally, it won’t be on the Nintendo; Super Mario Run will be hitting Apple devices.

It’s certainly a twist that Mario will be arriving on a new platform. Video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto was recently part of an interview, discussing Super Mario Run and various aspects of its marketing and release. We know that Miyamoto is the mastermind behind all things Mario, but what choices went into the new iOS title? In a report by GameSpot, Miyamoto discusses the free-to-play option and Nintendo’s plans.

The noticeable feature about Super Mario Run is that paying for the full game is optional. If you want to get a taste of what the full game is like, you’ll be able to download the game for free. It remains to be seen just what we’ll be getting with the free content, but you can bet that Nintendo will leave enough to be desired to inspire a full game’s purchase. The full game retails at $10. Interestingly enough, Apple pushed for a free-to-play version of Super Mario Run and felt that it would be a step in the right direction.

Miyamoto had this to say in regard to the relationship with Apple and how their idea for a mobile game was brought to the table.

“The timing was really fortunate for both of us. On the Nintendo side we’d been talking a lot about going into the mobile space but we hadn’t decided that we were going to make a Mario game for smartphones,” Miyamoto stated.

“As we were talking about what we were going to create we started asking ourselves about what a Mario game would need to be. So we were experimenting with some things and we can up with the base idea, and that’s what we eventually showed to Apple.”

It’s hard to imagine that it wouldn’t be a winning situation for companies like Nintendo and Apple to combine forces. Both have been successful in their endeavors, though some would argue that Nintendo plays it safe. Regardless, Super Mario Run has curiosity and marriage meeting in the middle. The technical side of things for Nintendo also came into play. Shigeru Miyamoto weighed in on this, as well.

“In order for us to have the performance we wanted we needed some development support to ensure that the game would run the way we expected,” Shigeru said.

Android users will be getting Super Mario Run at a later date, though nothing official seems to have been released to the public in terms of when. While Nintendo plans to expand and give mobile users with different phones the chance to enjoy Super Mario Run, it’s being reported by Newsient that Nintendo is concerned about piracy issues on the Android platform. It may be speculation, but it’s certainly one that’s justified. Many would state that Android users have more freedom to download and work with their operating systems than iOS users, though both devices have seen their fair share of broken systems and illegal activity.

Super Mario Run will require internet connection, which also threatens the piracy or illegal activity of hackers and the like. Time will tell if there will be a workaround for this. For now, iOS users will see Mario jumping onto their screens on December 15.

What are your thoughts on Super Mario Run? Do you think that Nintendo will expand even further and take its games across other platforms? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

[Featured Image by Nintendo]

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